Tag: Illness

Will Alvin Kamara play this week? Injury updates for Saints RB

Saints running back Alvin Kamara is dealing with an illness. Here are the latest updates on his status against the Washington Commanders.

The New Orleans Saints managed to sneak away with a win this past week, winning 14-11 over the New York Giants. The offense has been reeling for weeks now, and Alvin Kamara has been pretty much their only lifeline when things got tough. Kamara came into this week fine, however on Wednesday and Thursday he missed practice with an illness, which caused a little bit of concern as to his status for the upcoming Week 15 game. With that said, here is his current status:

Alvin Kamara illness update

As of Saturday, Kamara is in line to play in the Week 15 matchup, coming in with no injury designation, and was a full participant at Friday’s practice. Interim head coach Darren Rizzi expressed that Kamara being held out on Thursday was simply a precautionary measure, and not an indication of him not playing or his full health status outside the illness.

What is the Saints’ RB depth chart?

Fortunately for the Saints, things have begun to look a little bit better on the injury front, and the running back position has filled back out with the usual players. As of right now, the active rostered running backs are:

  • Alvin Kamara
  • Kendre Miller
  • Jamaal Williams
  • Jordan Mims

Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams had both experienced injuries of their own in prior weeks, however they have both been back for a little bit now, and should be good to go for Week 15, as well as Jordan Mims provided he is marked active.

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Week 15 injury report: Saints practice again without their best player

The Saints practiced on Thursday again without their best player. Alvin Kamara (illness) is still a DNP on the injury report:

This isn’t good. The New Orleans Saints practiced on Thursday again without their best player. Star running back Alvin Kamara (illness) was still a non-participant on the injury report ahead of Week 15’s game with the Washington Commanders.

Now, Kamara is only dealing with an undisclosed illness, so this could be something as minor as the flu. But it’s worth watching for changes to his status closely in the days ahead. At the same time, if there’s a player on the roster who could walk onto the field Sunday afternoon without having taken a single practice rep, it’s him.

The only change to the injury report was the Saints downgrading rookie wide receiver Bub Means (ankle) from limited reps to non-participation. He’s still on injured reserve with another week of eligibility remaining to get the green light to play, but this is two weeks now we’ve seen him test that ankle and then have to scale back on the days that followed.

Here’s what we learned from both teams:

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Alvin Kamara (illness) misses Saints’ Wednesday practice

Alvin Kamara (illness) missed practice on Wednesday, however interim head coach Darren Rizzi expressed confidence he will be at work on Thursday:

The New Orleans Saints injury report has had some good and bad news going back and forth to start the week, and on Wednesday, a new addition to the list was Alvin Kamara.

Kamara missed Wednesday’s practice due to an illness, however, the positive side of this news is that interim head coach Darren Rizzi did say that he believes Kamara will return to practice on Thursday. That would do a lot to build confidence that Kamara can see his usual workload on Sunday.

Provided Kamara does return Thursday, this would give him plenty of time to get ready for the Saints’ upcoming matchup against the Washington Commanders, which is going to be difficult in and of itself. In his most recent game against Washington, Kamara had 16 rush attempts for 71 rushing yards (4.4 yards per carry) and a rushing touchdown, as well as 5 receptions for 51 yards (10.2 yards per reception) and a receiving touchdown. There aren’t many players more impactful both on the ground and through the air than him.

His presence will be crucial to any efforts for the Saints this week, and his return Thursday would be hugely positive momentum heading into the game.

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Lions ‘have to assume we don’t have’ rookie OL Christian Mahogany as he battles illness

Mahogany is on the non-football illness list and has missed all of training camp, and Dan Campbell didn’t sound optimistic that will change soon

When the Detroit Lions drafted Boston College OL Christian Mahogany in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the expectation was the big rookie would compete for a primary reserve spot on the Lions’ excellent offensive line.

Alas, we haven’t seen Mahogany since minicamp. The offensive guard is on the non-football illness list and has not practiced at all in the first week of training camp. The nature of the illness is not publicly disclosed, but it’s serious enough that head coach Dan Campbell offered a pessimistic update about Mahogany’s short-term prognosis.

“We have to assume we don’t have him,” Campbell said bluntly when asked about Mahogany before Tuesday’s practice session.

“When we know he’s ready to get here and be a part of what we’re doing, believe me, we’ll get him here as fast as possible,’ Campbell said, adding that Mahogany has been an active participant in virtual meetings and is doing what he can to stay engaged while physically away from the team.

With Mahogany sidelined, veterans Netane Muti and Kayode Awosika have had increased reps with the second-team offensive line.

Why was Johnathan Abram, not Jordan Howden, starting at safety for Saints?

Why was Johnathan Abram, not Jordan Howden, starting at safety for the Saints? The coaches had a good reason, and Abram made the most of his opportunity:

Jordan Howden has been a regular face in the New Orleans Saints secondary, so it was a little jarring to see him not in the starting lineup next to Tyrann Mathieu on Sunday. But the Saints coaching staff had a good reason for making a change: Howden was sidelined in practice to start the week with an illness that was still limiting him.

That prompted them to call up Johnathan Abram, who took Howden’s place as Marcus Maye’s fill-in. And Abram certainly made the most of that opportunity. He tied with Mathieu for the second-most tackles in Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while also forcing a fumble, intercepting a pass, and breaking up another throw into his coverage.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen complimented Abram’s performance after the game, saying: “I thought he played really well, I was extremely proud of him. Happy for him, the way that he played. Great effort play on the strip to cause a fumble that Demario (Davis) recovered. There was a number of things he did well, but that stands out.”

Allen pointed to Abram as a veteran in the defensive backs room who has spent more time studying game tape than maybe anyone else on the roster; Abram started out on the practice squad to start the year before getting chances to dress out for games here or there prior to this start. Props to him for seizing his opportunity.

Maybe it’ll lead to a larger role for him with free agency on the horizon. A former Raiders first-round draft pick out of Mississippi State, Abram suited up for a couple of different teams last year before he reunited with Derek Carr in New Orleans. He quickly established himself as a valuable player on the depth chart, and the Saints are fortunate to have him. We’ll see if he can continue to make a positive difference in Week 18’s regular season finale.

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Report: Alvin Kamara, Lou Hedley will play through illness vs. Buccaneers

NOF’s Nick Underhill reports that running back Alvin Kamara and punter Lou Hedley will play against the Bucs despite being questionable with illness:

There’s no quit in this New Orleans Saints team. Several players were listed on the injury report after either missing practice or being limited participants due to an illness going around — running back Alvin Kamara and punter Lou Hedley were both listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of it. But NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that both of them will suit up on Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium.

That’s good news. The Saints didn’t have an alternative to Hedley as a punter, and he has a heavy workload: Hedley’s 65 attempts this season are 14th-most among punters around the league. The rookie from Australia has had a rough season (his 4.02 seconds of average hang time are lowest in the league) but the team will need him against the Bucs.

As for Kamara: he’s been New Orleans’ only viable running back for much of the year with Jamaal Williams (73 carries for 222 yards) and Kendre Miller (28 rushes for 83 yards) both looking like massive disappointments after an overhyped offseason. Taysom Hill has been the team’s second-best rusher with 73 attempts for 349 yards on the ground, though a foot injury has slowed him down in recent weeks.

Kamara missed three games with a suspension and still ranks second on the team in receptions (73) and third in yards (462), though too many of his touches have been panicked checkdowns from Derek Carr as opposed to well-designed screens and big-play wheel routes like we’ve seen in the past. Hopefully Kamara can make a greater impact in Tampa Bay against a defense that has limited him to 84, 37, and 31 scrimmage yards in their last three meetings.

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Micah Parsons battling flu; Cowboys expect him to play vs Eagles

From @ToddBrock24f7: The two-time All-Pro was added to the injury report early Sunday, but the Cowboys don’t believe his playing time vs Philly will be affected.

Cue up the Michael Jordan memes and maybe get an IV bag ready, just in case. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has come down with an illness but is expected to play Sunday night when the division-leading Eagles pay a visit to AT&T Stadium.

The team added Parsons to their injury report just prior to the kickoff of Week 14’s early-afternoon slate. As per Ed Werder of ESPN, a virus has been working its way through the Cowboys locker room; it apparently hit quarterback Dak Prescott last week.

Parsons is dealing with flu-like symptoms, and although the Cowboys do not expect his playing time to be affected Sunday night, it will be a situation worth watching in what is expected to be a fiercely-contested matchup of longtime rivals.

Parsons is currently leading the Cowboys defense in sacks this season, with 11.5 through 12 games, and he is a viable candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year.

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The two-time All-Pro won’t be the only one suiting up for Dallas tonight in less-than-ideal physical condition; head coach Mike McCarthy had his appendix removed in emergency surgery on Wednesday but says he will handle all his usual sideline and play-calling duties for Sunday night’s NFC East showdown.

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Saints injury report: Derek Carr, Taysom Hill among 9 questionable players vs. Panthers

Saints injury report: Derek Carr, Taysom Hill among 9 questionable players vs. Panthers

Let’s start with the good news: the New Orleans Saints ruled out just two players for Week 14’s home game with the Carolina Panthers due to injury, and they’re both rookies who haven’t seen the field much this year — defensive end Isaiah Foskey (quadricep) and running back Kendre Miller (ankle).

Now the bad news, and there’s a lot of it. Nine different Saints players are questionable to play on Sunday because of injuries. It’s a big group including quarterbacks Derek Carr (concussion/rib/right shoulder) and Taysom Hill (foot/left hand) as well as defensive end Cameron Jordan (ankle), wide receivers Rashid Shaheed (thigh) and Chris Olave (illness), tight end Juwan Johnson (quadricep), linebacker Pete Werner (shoulder/oblique), kicker Blake Grupe (right groin), and rookie guard Nick Saldiveri (shoulder).

Some players are trending in the right direction. Carr was upgraded to full practice reps on Friday after being limited earlier in the week and just needs to clear NFL concussion protocol to suit up. Grupe practiced fully all week and the Saints released his backup from the practice squad. Olave should be good to go if he can stay hydrated and rest up by Sunday’s kickoff.

But obviously it’s a fluid situation all around. We should expect final word when the inactives list is reported Sunday morning and it’s possible the Saints update some players’ statuses after the final walkthrough on Saturday. Here’s the full injury report from each team:

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Both of the Saints’ questionable players are active for Week 9 Bears game

The Saints listed two players as questionable for Sunday’s game with the Bears on the final injury report, but they’re both active and available:

Good news, everyone: both of the players listed on the New Orleans Saints injury report as questionable for Sunday’s game are active. Defensive tackle Malcolm Roach and rookie running back Kendre Miller were the latest personnel to miss time in practice while dealing with a virus that has been making its way through the team facility, but they’ll gut it out and dress for Week 9’s matchup with the Chicago Bears.

Roach has played well in a contract year, totaling 182 snaps at defensive tackle behind Nathan Shepherd (270), Bryan Bresee (245), and Khalen Saunders (242). He’s posted 22 combined tackles (7 solo, 3 tackles for loss) through the first eight games along with a pass deflection and several quarterback pressures.

Miller was slowed by a hamstring injury to start his first season as a pro, but he’s logged 82 snaps on offense in six games. The rookie has gained 83 rushing yards on 27 attempts (3.1 yards per carry) and caught 8 passes for 80 yards (10 yards per reception). His 163 scrimmage yards rank ninth among first-year running backs going into Week 9, but so do his 35 combined touches. He needs to show more of the big-play ability the Saints coveted from his college game tape.

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Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: Patrick Mahomes ‘is a competitor’ after playing through illness

#Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling told reporters that Patrick Mahomes “is a competitior” after playing through illness against the #Broncos

While it would be impossible to pin the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos on any single factor, quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ illness certainly didn’t work in his team’s favor.

Veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling commented on what the reigning MVP went through to play in the divisional matchup after the game’s conclusion and praised the toughness that Mahomes showed.

“[QB Patrick Mahomes] is a competitor,” Valdes-Scantling said. “He can have no legs and still try to run around and throw the football. As long as he can suit up, he’s going to be out there. He’s out there for a reason. We got the utmost confidence that he’s going to go out there and give it his all, and that’s what he did today.”

Mahomes may have given his all, but fans are sure to speculate about whether his condition should have warranted action for veteran backup Blaine Gabbert, who did not see the field.